We Recommend the Maytown Manor as a Great PA Inn to Get that RENEWED Feeling!

Jeff was there to greet us and show us around the inn so that we would feel welcome ... and we did.

Here we have small-town charm in the midst of a tourist Mecca. Echoing a past era with some country-cottage charm and a touch of the mysterious, this Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, inn leapt into our hearts immediately upon entering it. There is a feeling of becoming an instant member of the family when you walk into the living room and see dozens of family photos sitting around ... after a closer look, we realized that we weren't in any of them (yet). The various nooks were inviting us to settle in, read a book, watch a movie, make some music or just relax by the fire.

The accomodations were comfortable, clean and relaxing. Jeff & Julie provided a delightfully fresh and sumptuous breakfast that still hangs delightfully in our sensory memories. The other couple there at the same time had been guests twice before and spoke highly of the breakfast treats served at this inn. They had stayed in each of the 3 available rooms and their favorite was the smaller Cameron Room because of the bright morning sun that greets you upon awakening. We stayed in the Taylor Room which has a bit of a mystical feel about it.

As for romance value... This is a great place for a married couple of twenty years to share precious moments together with an atmosphere of romantic sophistication, yet enchanting enough to evoke instant romance for young lovers. A truly relaxing and romantic addition to any trip ... or just a little time away from the rat race.

Definitely a wonderful sanctuary in a hectic world where you can avoid the craziness of motels and get treated like family member. And when you do visit, say hi to Max for us.

We recommend that you add this Inn to your 'must try' in PA list and visit often, we intend to do just that.

It is truly a restful and soul reviving getaway! Please let them know that Jim & Beth sent you. Have Fun, You Deserve It!

Western Lancaster County By Dominick and Margherita Miserandino

Most people travel to Lancaster County to see the sites that are located in Eastern Lancaster, such as the outlets. There is however, a lot to do in Western Lancaster County as we found out from Jeff and Julie Clouser from the Maytown Manor Bed and Breakfast. Jeff and Julie were excited to show the sites of their surrounding neighborhoods.

We arrived Friday evening and were greeted by Jeff right outside the front door of his inn. Standing on a corner outside of the Maytown town square, this bed and breakfast is an immaculately clean and well-preserved home built in 1880 sitting on a large lot with beautiful surrounding gardens. Inside it's beautifully decorated with items from both Jeff and Julie's past increasing that feeling of home. It is a great place for a romantic getaway weekend. It was very entertaining to hear the stories behind certain pieces of furniture; especially the thirteen-dollar table, which Margherita fell in love with. Jeff and Julie's accommodating personalities break down all boundaries and immediately make you feel at home. Jeff was extremely hospitable and very jolly. He has a very whimsical, theatrical like personality, a bit like Nathan Lane in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Every moment there seemed to be some reason to laugh or smile. We unfortunately did not get to spend as much time as we would have liked with Julie for very understandable reasons.

The first night, after getting a quick tour of the premises we got in the car and went to Bube's Brewery and the Catacomb's restaurant located in Mount Joy. Yes, it is pronounced like the female body part that caused me to giggle like a schoolgirl every time I said it. Even if you pronounce it with one syllable you still get one of the pair of female body parts. Bube's Brewery is the oldest standing brewery in the United States. It has been in existence since 1876 and was saved because Mr. Bube's brewery success led him to build an adjoining hotel. Since the hotel and brewery shared the same foundation, the brewery was saved during the prohibition. Since prohibition, the building was saved by the lack of motivation of Mr. Bube's descendants. While laziness doesn't always have such privileges, in this case, the lack of drive caused the descendants to not improve the building keeping it in its original state.

We were given a tour by Sam the owner. On the first floor of the adjoining hotel, (which is no longer in operation at this time), there remains an old bar which looks like a movie set perfectly fixed in the 1920's. This room alone is worth a visit. Not one detail is changed from the 1920s. The catacombs, where the restaurant is located, is where the barrels of beer were stored and are very much akin to a medieval catacombs that could be found in Europe. The juxtaposition of finding this in Lancaster was very entertaining. A restaurant is usually described by its food and it's atmosphere. The seafood and beer brewed right on the premises were spectacular, but I'm not going to waste time describing how great they are and jump right to the atmosphere. The stonewalls and cavernous surroundings are so unique that it will save you a few hundred dollars on a round trip ticket to England for the next best thing. There is nothing like eating by candlelight in a cavern with servers and staff dressed in medieval garb. Why the medieval garb? Bube's has feasts or theatrical theme dinners, one of them being a medieval feast. Most of the staff were in costume as well as Sam. While we had dinner, we were visited by a fire-eater and beggar.

After a great meal, we drove back to the Maytown Manor, and we admit it did feel a bit like sleeping over at a friend's house. There were midnight snacks on the dining room table, which is so much cozier than a hotel.

The next morning we woke up and had a delicious breakfast including English muffin bread, cheesy bacon and broccoli quiche, and peachy fruit salad with marshmallows. Any breakfast with marshmallows is good in my world.

After breakfast, we got in the car to hit the sites as per the suggestion of Jeff. Most visitors' bureaus are not as organized as Jeff and Julie in planning the best itinerary to spend a day in Western Lancaster County. The first stop on the trip was to George's Woodcrafts in Marietta.

George has been making his furniture for years and it's beautifully handcrafted albeit a bit out of our price range. It did feel like steel it was so well constructed, and to demonstrate the strength of their "thirty seat" dining room table, an employee sat on the middle of the table, expanded without it's leaves in place and bounced up and down without a problem. We were able to tour their entire operation, which impressed me with how they even recycled the woodchips and shavings to heat up the wood drying room and thereby have an even more efficient operation.

From George's Woodcrafts we drove over to the Susquehanna Glass Factory in Columbia which is a glass decorating factory and store. The prices that they charge however are at least half to three fourths of what you would see in the major catalogs for the same exact product. If you live in the North East and you're getting married, I would highly suggest coming here to get your wedding favors as it was completely amazing how much cheaper they were than anywhere else we've seen.

From Susquehanna Glass it is a 10-minute drive across the river to the John Wright Factory Store in Wrightsville, which has it's own restaurant. Situated right along the river, the view is incredible. For lunch, we had Rueben's which were real tasty. The store has everything you need to decorate your country home with moderate prices, but go to the back clearance section for the real deals.

After lunch, we headed over to the 1852 Herr Family Homestead in Landisville. It is a 12-room brick farmhouse that interprets life on a 19th century Pennsylvania German farm. It features a collection of period antiques, clothing and household items. It was very interesting to see how efficiently this home was run- nothing went to waste.

The best surprise of the day was the National Watch & Clock Museum, which was just somewhere that Jeff casually suggested we might want to stop at; we discovered it is a world-class museum. It is the largest and most comprehensive horological collection in North America. The amount of money and energy that they spent creating this museum shows through. It is truly a chronofile's Mecca. Then again, how often do you find a person who is in love with watches? Occasionally, the constant ticking sound drives you crazy, but the intricate artwork on the watches is truly amazing.

Back to the inn, to rest up and then we were off to the Dutch Apple Theater for dinner and Smokey Joe's Café. Dinner was good but the show was excellent. At first, I was a little leary about seeing a Broadway show in Lancaster. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised. The cast was extremely talented… take Juson Williams, for example, he has performed with Gloria Estefan and other celebrities. His voice was very moving and conveyed a lot of emotion. After the show, we headed back to the inn for some homemade goodies and coffee.

The next morning we had another wonderful breakfast. It was bananas and cream followed by baked apple French toast. After breakfast, we said goodbye to Jeff and Julie and headed on our way home. On the way, we stopped at Adamstown to go antiquing. There are many antique shops there. This was the place to be… you could find everything from collectibles to furniture. We unfortunately found nothing we liked within our budget and headed home.

Western Lancaster County is definitely a place I would love to visit again. There are so many things we did not get a chance to do and see, but we certainly plan on going back. It is also a place to go to just relax… especially if you stay at a warm and inviting place like the Maytown Manor Bed and Breakfast.

Cookie Tour Raises "Dough" For Hospice, Peek Into Bed And Breakfast Inns. MAYTOWN (Lancaster Co.)

An opportunity to tour 13 Lancaster County Bed and Breakfasts, nibble on a different cookie specialty at each stop, and raise money for Hospice will cost only $5 on Sunday, May 5, from 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

If you're fortunate, you can win a free night's stay at one of the participating inns of your choice.

Jeff Clouser, marketing coordinator for the Authentic Bed and Breakfasts of Lancaster County, said the event benefits Hospice and allows people to see the wide variety of services county inns offer. It's also an opportunity for participants to learn to know the innkeepers and their stories.

Clouser and his wife Julie operate Maytown Manor, an 1880 federal-style home referred to locally as the Hiestand House. Both Clousers have a degree in education, but have always been active in food service-related jobs.

Friends and family members have often commented on the Clousers' flair for turning ordinary dinners into memorable experiences. Extending their natural affinity for hospitality to operating a bed and breakfast seemed a natural progression for this young couple.

When the couple purchased the property in June 2000, they viewed it as a potential site for a bed and breakfast in upcoming years, but the dream became a burning desire, and the Clousers decided to go for their dream immediately.

"We're good at ripping things apart,'' Clouser said of their efforts to redo the home into a guest rooms with private baths, rewiring, and repainting. With the help of an interior decorator friend, the couple achieved an appealing inn.

They named each of the three guest rooms after a historical person who had lived in Maytown. The Whitaker room is named after the operator of the Whitaker Ferry, the Taylor Room is named after a U.S. Ambassador to Germany, and the Cameron Room is in honor of Simon Carmeron, a U.S. Senator during Abe Lincoln's presidency.

Upstart expenses for inns are costly. And three guest rooms do not provide enough income for both Clousers to make a full-time career of their dream. Julie is a supervisor for Tyco, and Clouser works part time at the Dutch Apple.

"The dream for a bed and breakfast was perhaps stronger for me than my wife,'' Clouser said. For that reason, he does more of the general upkeep around the place. The Clousers have no additional staff, so all cleaning, laundry, cooking a big breakfast, and maintaining a spacious lawn keep the Clousers very busy.

"We need our own space,'' Clouser said of retaining a private apartment within the house. "It also enables guests to feel more relaxed because they don't feel like they are invading our space.''

Guests have access to a library/entertainment room. The walls and built-in bookshelves are made from knotty pine. An oriental room and antique chairs offer an inviting spot to curl up with a book or watch television.

Breakfast is served in the formal dining room complete with heirloom china passed down through Julie's grandmother.

Tickets for the Bed and Breakfast Cookie Tour are available for $5 a person at all participating inns, and can be purchased the day of the tour. Proceeds from the event will benefit Hospice of Lancaster County.

The mission of Hospice is to provide the highest quality supportive services to all persons in need of end-of-life care and their caregivers. Hospice care is for people with any illness including heart, lung, cancer, AIDS, and Alzheimer's diseases. Hospice advocates effectively for patient comfort, dignity, and choice, and serves a leading resource in clinical, ethical, and spiritual issues of end-of-life care.

- Lou Ann Good,
Food & Family Features Editor
Lancaster Farming, 4/27/02

Tucked away in picturesque Lancaster County, the charming Maytown Manor blends old world tradition with new world ambiance. Built in 1880, this stately federal-style brick house is set on an acre of pleasingly landscaped lawn. The impressive front porch, complete with a swing, warmly welcomes guests to the inn and to the gracious experience of country hospitality in a quiet and tranquil atmosphere. Owners Jeff and Julie Clouser provide the level of personal service that bed and breakfast guests have come to expect and deserve during their stay. Maytown Manor features three distinct and romantic guest rooms named after famous Maytown figures. Each room is individually decorated and perfectly appointed with antique furnishings, central air conditioning, cable television, ceiling fans and private bathrooms equipped with hairdryers and handmade soaps. Upon entering the house, guests are greeted by music playing in the library, a cozy wood paneled room with big comfy chairs and walls lined with videos and books of all shapes and sizes, historical and otherwise. Adjacent to the library is the parlor which features a piano and fireplace where guests can trade itineraries and mingle with other guests from all over the world. In true bed and breakfast tradition, a full gourmet breakfast is served by candlelight in the formal dining room. Fresh juice and special blends of tea or coffee and a main entree are beautifully and artistically presented and equally as delicious. While the menu selection varies daily, this particular morning, Jeff and Julie had prepared a type of french toast I had never seen. It resembled a cake that had been baked with slices of apple in the original batter. Other ingredients enhanced the french toast as well, however I refrained from probing into their recipe. Additionally, all entrees are accompanied by a serving of fresh fruit. After a day of visiting the area's many attractions, guests can help themselves to various beverages or a plate of homemade monster cookies generously provided by the innkeepers.

Largely known for Amish farms and horse-drawn buggies, bed and breakfasts are rising in popularity in Lancaster County, offering guests a personal touch that is not found in hotels. Maytown Manor is centrally located in western Lancaster County within easy driving distance to both Hershey Park and the Amish areas. Other nearby attractions include Nissley Vineyards, the American Music Theater and the many covered bridges of Lancaster County. Whatever vacation plans guests may hold or whatever their activity level might be, Maytown Manor is the perfect getaway, where nothing is hurried or overlooked in accommodations and rest and relaxation is the main priority.